Dubai, UAE — US Vice President JD Vance publicly rebuked Israeli politicians critical of President Donald Trump’s agreement with Iran, saying Washington remained Israel’s most important ally despite growing opposition in Israel to the accord.
In comments reported by the New York Times and other U.S. media, Vance pushed back against criticism from members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition who have denounced the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding announced this week.
“The problem for Israel is not Donald J. Trump,” Vance said. “Anybody in Israel who thinks their biggest problem is the president of the United States needs to wake up and smell the reality of the situation that country is in.”
Vance added that if he were serving in Israel’s cabinet, he would not be “attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world.” He also noted that much of Israel’s defensive arsenal had been “built by American hands and paid for by American tax dollars.”
The unusually blunt remarks highlight tensions between Washington and parts of Israel’s leadership over the agreement, which is intended to end the three-month conflict with Iran and launch negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Israeli officials have voiced concern that the deal does not require the dismantling of Iran’s missile programme and leaves unresolved questions over Tehran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Critics in Israel have also objected to provisions linking the accord to a halt in fighting involving Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Defence Minister Israel Katz said earlier this week that Israel would remain indefinitely in territories it controls in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza, while warning that any attack linked to Iran would be met with force.
Other Israeli politicians have argued that Israel is not bound by the U.S.-Iran agreement and retains the right to act independently against threats from Iran or Hezbollah, reflecting concerns that the deal could constrain Israeli military operations.
Netanyahu has been more measured publicly but has maintained that Israeli operations against Hezbollah would continue as necessary to guarantee national security.
Vance, who has emerged as the administration’s chief public defender of the agreement, said earlier this week that the accord would make both Israel and the wider region safer and expressed confidence that Israel would eventually support it.
The memorandum of understanding, which is expected to be formally signed in Switzerland, extends a ceasefire and opens a 60-day negotiating period focused on Iran’s nuclear programme and broader regional security issues. However, both U.S. and Israeli officials acknowledge that significant differences remain over its implementation and long-term implications.
